How two Gujarati monthly newspapers covered India's independence in 1947. The media of today can pick up a few

On August 15, 1947, the end of British rule sparked nationwide celebration. However, the gloom of the shocking and awful communal violence persisted. After a protracted night, the newspapers published special supplements to wish their readers a happy new day. Popular Gujarati monthlies Kumar and Sanskruti, published in Ahmedabad, did celebrate freedom in their August issues. But it was subtle in tone.

The cover of the August 1947 issue of Kumar, a reputable Gujarati monthly, featured an image of the National Flag with a boy scout. In later decades, the salutation and outfit (knee-long shorts, cap) that originally represented the Sewa Dal of Congress became synonymous with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Kumar: a monthly for the citizens of tomorrow

Kumar, "a monthly for the citizens of tomorrow," produced a map of Independent India with the caption "Independent yet incomplete India." Kumar is known for covering a wide range of themes in literature, the arts, culture, science, and other fields without getting too caught up in current events. The foundation of Pakistan and the regions governed by various princely princes, even though they were integrated with the Indian Union, were used as examples in the preceding article to explain the issue. Some princely realms continued to exercise "sovereign" control over the populace because they had not yet made a choice.

They made the Independence, according to the monthly, incomplete. Bachubhai Rawat, the illustrious editor of Kumar, was renowned for encouraging poets and authors. Sundaram, Rajendra Shah, and Balmukund Dave all went on to become well-known Gujarati poets, with Shah winning the Jnanpith Award in 2001. Their poems may be found in the renowned poetry section of the issue from August 1947.

Dave's poem, A Cloudy Dawn, contrasted with the joyous poetry of Sundaram and Shah. He inquired, "Why is the dawn cloudy and foggy?" as he described the sacrifices paid for the cause of independence in the first stanza. He pictured people getting up and being unimpressed by the foggy light. Dave did an excellent job of capturing Gandhi's images in the final stanza: "Graceful yet sorrowful and feeble eyes peering across the sky.

He was the one who had ingested the darkness's toxin yet still stood in front of the crowds with full calm and asceticism, like Lord Shiva. The people were inspired by his leadership to put their sorrow behind and look toward a better future.

The readers of a brief, unsigned article in Kumar captioned "As the independence has arrived" were forewarned that the hard work had only just begun. The nation's post-revolutionary state was substantially comparable to that of Russia in 1918. We require thousands of qualified individuals to manage our long-boarding facility...If we don't build up our fortitude to bear the weight of our freedom, it will crush us.

Sometimes it was simple to make a sacrifice while enthusiastic, but it was challenging to make a sacrifice while maintaining silence. And the latter was what would be required.

In the August 1947 issue, Kumar also began a series of articles about the independence martyrs. The photograph of the four Sarnath lions, the country's emblem, was published in the September 1947 issue. A two-page piece headlined "The freedom is ignited in the country but not in our hearts" was included in the issue. It cited a few unpleasant facts and advised against excessive self-praise. The article also described the disorderly conduct of the 15 August celebrations in several locales.

Sanskruti Magazine

Umashankar Joshi, a poet and author, founded the new magazine Sanskruti in January 1947. It was equally measured in celebrating 15 August. The country will cease to be a colony due to a bill passed quietly (in the British Parliament), according to Joshi's column Samayrang (moods of time), and this fact in and of itself is astonishing. He added that no group of people had shown the kind of excitement that was appropriate for the situation. As for pure pessimism, Joshi remarked, "To accept what we have and to make full efforts of building a grand structure based on it is the only way forward... " He also rejected pure pessimism, which swiftly eliminated all joy.The nation cannot continue to be as lifeless as it is right now.

Joshi was critical of the British leadership of both the Indian and Pakistani forces. He stated unequivocally that the Indian leadership lacked statesmanship and vision. Three poems, including one by Joshi himself, were included in the issue greeting Independence.

Umashankr Joshi remarked in the editorial of the September 1947 issue of Sanskruti that he was utterly disappointed and that the nation has reached an all-time low spiritually. He also criticized the political establishment for giving up Gandhianism or other similar ideas.

The harsher remark was made in his 'Samayrang' column, where he bemoaned the excessive pay of recently appointed Indian governors. He observed a new practice of tax-free salaries for the governors, which was not even the case during the British Raj, and quoted a Gujarati saying that says one can see the child's traits from the cradle. Joshi said that it was unlucky to see the ministers leaving Birla House to take their positions of authority while wearing kanku (red turmeric) on their foreheads. He regretted the lack of any ministers who offered to decline a salary or who declined to use it for a charitable cause. When the Congress formed governments in numerous provinces after the election in 1937, there wasn't a single minister who at least adhered to the remuneration of Rs 500 that Congress ministers received.

"Perhaps the British might not have inherited it from the Mughals in the same way, given the way our leaders have advanced the British legacy." Joshi wrote and expressed his hope that the new officials would serve the people with humility.

Joshi disagreed with Gandhi's decision to remove the spinning wheel from the national flag and expressed surprise that Gandhi was persuaded to make the alteration. He wrote that "the inclusion of the Chakra is like trying to show respect towards the essence of Gandhi in the present and that of Ashoka in the past but effectively appropriating the pride associated with both of them." He cited the religious and spiritual history of the chakra in Indian tradition even before Ashoka.

On such a significant occasion as 15 August 1947, the tone of two renowned Gujarati monthlies can be instructive for the media and authors watching the government-driven Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.